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Serena Bowles | profile | all galleries >> Travel >> Indian Subcontinent 2010-2011 >> India >> Ladakh >> After the Disaster in Ladakh tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

Journey to Leh | Mountain Biking Down from Khardung La | Leh and Around | Phyang Monastery | Spituk Gompa | Hemis Monastery | Thiksey Monastery | After the Disaster in Ladakh | Shanti Stupa | Trip to Alchi Monastery | Zanskar Valley | Shey Monastery

After the Disaster in Ladakh

I visited Ladakh at the end of July 2010, and was there when the terrible cloudburst disaster hit on 6th August.


I stayed on to help with the relief work until 20th August, but have few post-disaster pictures; I was too busy helping to snap away. You may be interested to read my post-disaster blog.


Ladakh is a beautiful place, with wonderful people, and I pray that they will be remembered by the Indian government in what will prove to be a very trying winter.

Some of my photos are now available to buy in a variety of sizes and finishes, or as digital files, at SerenityPhotography.co.uk. Search through my entire library of stock images here.

You can keep abreast of my travels by visiting my website underwater-girl.co.uk.

Bull in the Bus Stand Leh
Bull in the Bus Stand Leh		 Armed Soldier Controlling Crowd Leh
Armed Soldier Controlling Crowd Leh		 Cloudburst Aftermath Leh
Cloudburst Aftermath Leh
Cloudburst Aftermath Leh 02
Cloudburst Aftermath Leh 02		 Cloudburst Aftermath Leh 03
Cloudburst Aftermath Leh 03		 Cloudburst Aftermath Leh 04
Cloudburst Aftermath Leh 04
Cloudburst Aftermath Leh 05
Cloudburst Aftermath Leh 05		 Cloudburst Aftermath Leh 06
Cloudburst Aftermath Leh 06		 Cloudburst Aftermath Leh 07
Cloudburst Aftermath Leh 07
Cloudburst Aftermath Leh 08
Cloudburst Aftermath Leh 08		 Cloudburst Aftermath Leh 09
Cloudburst Aftermath Leh 09		 Cloudburst Aftermath Leh 10
Cloudburst Aftermath Leh 10
Cloudburst Aftermath Leh 11
Cloudburst Aftermath Leh 11		 Cloudburst Aftermath Leh 12
Cloudburst Aftermath Leh 12		 Cloudburst Aftermath Leh 13
Cloudburst Aftermath Leh 13
Cloudburst Aftermath Leh 14
Cloudburst Aftermath Leh 14		 Cloudburst Aftermath Leh 15
Cloudburst Aftermath Leh 15		 Collapsed Building Leh
Collapsed Building Leh
Collapsed Building Leh 02
Collapsed Building Leh 02		 Collapsed Building Leh 03
Collapsed Building Leh 03		 Collapsed Building Leh 04
Collapsed Building Leh 04
Damage to Changspa Bridge
Damage to Changspa Bridge		 Damage to Changspa Bridge 02
Damage to Changspa Bridge 02		 Damage to Changspa Bridge 03
Damage to Changspa Bridge 03
Donkey Caked in Mud Leh
Donkey Caked in Mud Leh		 Flood Barrier Changspa
Flood Barrier Changspa		 Mangled Remains of a Car Leh
Mangled Remains of a Car Leh
More Rain Threatens Leh
More Rain Threatens Leh		 Mud in Central Leh
Mud in Central Leh		 Mud in Central Leh 02
Mud in Central Leh 02
Mud Caked Doll Leh
Mud Caked Doll Leh		 Overturned Vehicle Leh
Overturned Vehicle Leh		 Overturned Vehicle Leh 02
Overturned Vehicle Leh 02
Path of the Landslide Leh
Path of the Landslide Leh		 Recovery Work Leh
Recovery Work Leh		 Refugees by Shanti Stupa
Refugees by Shanti Stupa
Refugees by Shanti Stupa 02
Refugees by Shanti Stupa 02		 River by Changspa Bridge
River by Changspa Bridge		 River by Changspa Bridge 02
River by Changspa Bridge 02
River through Changspa
River through Changspa		 Sleeping Dog Caked in Mud Leh
Sleeping Dog Caked in Mud Leh		 Smashed Bus Leh
Smashed Bus Leh
Smashed Bus Leh 02
Smashed Bus Leh 02		 Smashed Bus Leh 03
Smashed Bus Leh 03		 Smashed Buses Leh
Smashed Buses Leh
Smashed Vehicles Leh
Smashed Vehicles Leh		 The Bus Stand Leh
The Bus Stand Leh		 The Bus Stand Leh 02
The Bus Stand Leh 02
The Bus Stand Leh 04
The Bus Stand Leh 04		 The Bus Stand Leh 05
The Bus Stand Leh 05		 Bottles on Collapsed Building Twelve Days On
Bottles on Collapsed Building Twelve Days On
Casualty Block Emptied of Mud Twelve Days On
Casualty Block Emptied of Mud Twelve Days On		 Childrens Ward with Mud Outside Hospital Twelve Days On
Childrens Ward with Mud Outside Hospital Twelve Days On		 Childrens Ward with Mud Stained Wall Hospital Twelve Days On
Childrens Ward with Mud Stained Wall Hospital Twelve Days On
Childrens Ward with Mud Stained Wall Hospital Twelve Days On 02
Childrens Ward with Mud Stained Wall Hospital Twelve Days On 02		 Cloudburst Aftermath Twelve Days On
Cloudburst Aftermath Twelve Days On		 Corridor Emptied of Mud Twelve Days On
Corridor Emptied of Mud Twelve Days On
Corridor Emptied of Mud Twelve Days On 02
Corridor Emptied of Mud Twelve Days On 02		 Hospital Bed Caked in Mud Twelve Days On
Hospital Bed Caked in Mud Twelve Days On		 Mud Emptied from Buildings Twelve Days On
Mud Emptied from Buildings Twelve Days On
Mud Emptied from Buildings Twelve Days On 02
Mud Emptied from Buildings Twelve Days On 02		 Mud Emptied from Hospital Twelve Days On
Mud Emptied from Hospital Twelve Days On		 Mud Emptied from Hospital Twelve Days On 02
Mud Emptied from Hospital Twelve Days On 02
Mud Filled Room Hospital Twelve Days On
Mud Filled Room Hospital Twelve Days On		 Mud Filled Room Hospital Twelve Days On 02
Mud Filled Room Hospital Twelve Days On 02		 Mud Filled Toilet Hospital Twelve Days On
Mud Filled Toilet Hospital Twelve Days On
Mud Filled Ward Hospital Twelve Days On
Mud Filled Ward Hospital Twelve Days On		 Mud Filled Ward Hospital Twelve Days On 02
Mud Filled Ward Hospital Twelve Days On 02		 Outside the Hospital Twelve Days On
Outside the Hospital Twelve Days On
Road Out of Leh Twelve Days On
Road Out of Leh Twelve Days On		 Rooms Half Empty of Mud Twelve Days On
Rooms Half Empty of Mud Twelve Days On		 Waiting in Line for Lunch Volunteers at the Hospital
Waiting in Line for Lunch Volunteers at the Hospital
Ward Part Cleared of Mud Hospital Twelve Days On
Ward Part Cleared of Mud Hospital Twelve Days On		 Ward Part Cleared of Mud Hospital Twelve Days On 02
Ward Part Cleared of Mud Hospital Twelve Days On 02

comment | share
little_sis05-Sep-2010 09:18
What devastation and such a massive recovery effort x
Serena Bowles27-Aug-2010 10:49
Hello Erika,

Well done to your daughter and her boyfriend for helping out - there's so much work that still needs to be done. You must be very proud of them.

I'm now in Kathmandu, so can't help to track down your daughter, but I can tell you how the situation was when I left one week ago.

Whilst there was still a lot of work to be done, there was no danger there any more - the flood was a one off, and things were "safe" there.

Communications were still extremely difficult to make with the outside world. Only a few Internet cafes had a satellite connection, and those connections were very poor, with long queues of people to use them. The electricity was only on for a few hours in the evening, so this added to the problems.

Making a phone call was a very frustrating experience. You would queue for a long time to get on a phone (as many of these were not working either), then you dial and get an engaged tone for the International lines. Sometimes it could take twenty minutes or more to actually get through.

The volunteer work itself is very tiring, and it is possible that your daughter just doesn't have the energy to persevere with the phones or Internet. Please try not to worry. If she was in touch ten days ago, then she is safe and well, and doing good and worthwhile work in helping the people out .

I was going to suggest that if you are still worried you might like to get in touch with one of the forums on India, such as Indiamike.com, but I can see that you've done that already. There is enough food, water, and access to cash via ATMs etc - it's just so very difficult to make contact with home.

I hope this helps to put your mind at rest.

Kind regards,

Serena

PS I tried to email this to you but the email address was wrong - I hope you check back here
Erika hmmilton 26-Aug-2010 22:40
Hi My name is Erika,
yughter esicaamilton and her boyfriend are staying in Leh, they have been there since the floods, I last heard from her 10 days ago. I think that they are helping clear a hospital or school. I am worried about them, as i thought they would have been back in touch by now.
Guest 21-Aug-2010 12:44
how devasting
them poor people
click on thumbnails for full image